Kathleen Hughes (born Elizabeth Margaret von Gerkan; November 14, 1928 – May 19, 2025) was an American actress who appeared during the Golden Age of Hollywood.
Early life Hughes was born in Hollywood, California, on November 14, 1928. Her maternal uncle, F. Hugh Herbert, was a playwright who authored Kiss and Tell and The Moon Is Blue. Her desire to act was inspired by a film she saw featuring Donald O'Connor, which gave her the idea that "acting looked like fun." After graduating from Fairfax High School, Hughes attended Los Angeles City College and UCLA.
Film Hughes was discovered in a Little Theater production in 1948. Signed to a seven-year contract with 20th Century Fox, she made 14 films for the studio. She appeared in five motion pictures for Universal Studios, including the cult film It Came From Outer Space. Hughes co-starred with Edward G. Robinson in a 1953 crime drama, The Glass Web, and appeared in an adventure film that year, The Golden Blade.
Television By 1956, Hughes was appearing in television series. She played in episodes of Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1956–1957), Telephone Time (1956), The Bob Cummings Show (1958), The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet, 77 Sunset Strip (1959), Hotel de Paree (1959), Tightrope! (1959), General Electric Theater (1960–1962), The Tall Man (1961), Bachelor Father (1962), Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. (1965), and I Dream of Jeannie (1967).
In 1962, Hughes played the role of murder victim Lita Krail in the sixth-season 1962 episode of Perry Mason, entitled "The Case of the Double-Entry Mind". She played the recurring role of Mrs. Coburn on the television series The Ghost & Mrs. Muir. She appeared on M*A*S*H as Lorraine Blake, wife of unit commander Henry Blake, in a home movie she sent to him. Hughes portrayed Mitch, a secretary, on the NBC drama Bracken's World (1969–1971).Terrace, Vincent (2011). Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2010. McFarland & Company, Inc.; . P. 129.
Stage Hughes' favorite stage role was in the play The Seven Year Itch.
Personal life and death On July 25, 1954, Hughes married Stanley Rubin, the producer of Bracken's World, at the home of her uncle. The couple had one daughter and three sons. The marriage lasted 59 years, until Rubin died on March 2, 2014, at the age of 96.
Hughes died on May 19, 2025, at the age of 96.
Filmography YearTitleRoleNotes1949Mother Is a FreshmanRhoda AdamsMr. Belvedere Goes to CollegeKay NelsonIt Happens Every SpringSarah1950Where the Sidewalk EndsSecretaryMister 880SecretaryI'll Get BySecretary1951Take Care of My Little GirlJenny BarkerI'll See You in My DreamsNurse1952For Men OnlyTracy NormanSally and Saint AnneLois Foran1953It Came from Outer SpaceJaneThe Golden BladeBakhamraThy Neighbor's WifeAnushkaThe Glass WebPaula Ranier1954Dawn at SocorroClare1955Cult of the CobraJulia Thompson1956Three Bad SistersValerie CraigAlfred Hitchcock Presents Marian KosterSeason 2 Episode 11: "The Better Bargain"1957Alfred Hitchcock Presents Ann NashSeason 2 Episode 29: "Vicious Circle"1958Unwed MotherLinda1966Promise Her AnythingBit part1967The President's AnalystWhite House Tourist1971The Late LizElaine Rich1972Pete 'n' TillieParty Guest1974The TakeSchool Nurse1990RevengeMother Superior1998Welcome to HollywoodWoman in curlers
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